Helpful Nights
by Faith-o-saurus
Summary: The people of District 13 spent a few extra days down in the bomb shelter, and Finnick and Katniss spend more time helping each other through the tough times. Katniss/Finnick friendship piece.


**So, I totally just cooked this up in about fifteen minutes from a random spurt of inspiration. My love for Finnick has been overwhelming lately, ridiculously overwhelming, so I needed to get _something_ down. **

**I always loved Katniss and Finnick's friendship - or start of one - and really wish that it could have gotten more of a chance before he died. **

**Anyway, enjoy!**

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I pad my way down to Finnick's room – they've kept us in the bomb shelter a little longer than intended just to make sure no other attacks will be made. He's made all of this at least a little easier. He knows what I'm going through, maybe even better than I do, and misery does love company.

I look up and down the hall, and seeing no one is around, I knock lightly on his door. I already know he's up, so there's no reason for him not to hear. I'm proven right when I hear the click of the lock and the door slide open just a crack. I push my way through and then close the door slowly behind me.

He's sitting on the bed in the regular District 13 outfit, cross-legged with a piece of rope in his hands. He's busying himself with some extravagant knot I haven't seen before, his eyes not straying once. I still have yet to get my own piece, but he was right: it helps, if only for just a little while.

I walk across the tiny space and sit down next to him, drawing my knees to my chest and staring forward. We're quiet for a while, and he's the one to break the silence.

"I got you a piece."

I turn my head toward him and see him hold out a rope like his own. I take it in my left hand and roll it over with my thumb. "Thanks." I glance down at his rope, which is still tied up neatly. "Never seen that knot before," I say while nodding toward it.

He looks at me with a raised eyebrow. "They didn't teach you this in training?" There's a ghost of a smirk, which I take as a good sign. Right now, I'm even more comfortable around him than Gale. Though really, it's not like I can bring my troubles from Peeta's absence to Gale, anyway. He scoots closer to me until he's almost shoulder-to-shoulder. "I'll teach you." I watch as he undoes his knot easily and fluidly.

I nod. "Sure." He demonstrates the first part of the knot, which is a lot more difficult than I figured; mine definitely did not turn out as great as his.

He chuckles and grabs the rope from me. I glare at him when he takes it out. "That was absolutely awful, Katniss." He nudges me. "Losing your touch."

I glare at him, which causes that ghost of a smirk to become a little brighter. I'm already feeling more at ease, being in this familiar territory. Whenever we have these jabs, it almost brings me back to before the war. Not that we met under the best circumstances, but at least it's something to hold on to. Plus, if I focus some on getting him in better spirits, I can forget my own pain, even if it's only moments.

He works with me for the next half hour, both of us throwing comebacks at one another, until we're smiling and maybe even having a bit of fun. I hold up the completed knot in front of me, proud of the result. "I think it's better than yours."

Finnick snorts and looks at me in disbelief, holding up his own – and regretfully better – knot. He then looks between the two and nods. "Yep, I think you're right, Katniss. Yours is definitely better." His tone is playfully sarcastic, so I hit him in the arm.

"You're an ass."

He clutches the left side of him chest and acts like he's in pain. "Oh, my heart."

I push him again, and do something I didn't think was possible for me anymore: I laugh. It's so unexpected, that it becomes contagious, and he's laughing right along with me. My laugh soon turns into a yawn, which I try to cover up as best as I can.

"Tired?" He's looking at me with that Odair smirk again, the one that would have every girl swooning. All it does is make me roll my eyes.

I can't help but yawn again; I actually am kind of tired. The problem is that I hate falling asleep, for the same reason he does. All that comes is nightmares. I shrug.

He chuckles and leans down so he's laying, then pulls the covers out and crawls beneath them.

I yawn again and can already feel my eyes getting heavy, the stress and lack of sleep over the weeks getting to me. Soon enough I'm lying down myself.

Finnick is poking me in the side, and I groan. "Hey, if you're sleeping in here, then get under the covers. I might change my mind."

I push him away, but crawl under nonetheless. He turns the lights off, and I snuggle deeper into one of the pillows. Suddenly, there's a weight thrown over my chest. "Finnick!" I push his arm away while he laughs.

"Aw come one, cuddle with me! I know you want to." I can almost feel his eyebrows wiggling.

I scoff and push him again. "I'd rather cuddle with a porcupine."

"Yeah, yeah, okay. Don't expect such great hospitality all the time."

I shake my head, and then burrow back down into the covers. I can feel my muscles relax in what seems like forever, and quickly fall asleep. My last thought is that I wake up before everyone else so they don't get the wrong idea about Finnick and me. That's the last thing I need.

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